System for receiving signals from a magneto-mechanical oscillator

Abstract

A system for receiving signals from a magneto-mechanical oscillator includes a main coil array adapted to receive a response signal of the magneto-mechanical oscillator and to transmit an excitation signal to the magneto-mechanical oscillator, and an additional coil for receiving a signal of the magneto-mechanical oscillator. A localizer is adapted to localize the additional coil and comprises a controller for controlling the main coil array and the additional coil such that a received localization signal is generated, a sensitivity provider for providing sensitivity information, and a processor for determining a position and / or orientation of the additional coil based on the provided sensitivity information and based on the received localization signal. A kit is provided for upgrading a system with a main coil array, by adding one or more additional coils and providing software for locating the one or more additional coils with the use of a pilot tone transmission.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This patent application claims priority to European Patent Application No. EP21153257, filed 25 Jan. 2021, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to a system for receiving signals from a magneto-mechanical oscillator, wherein the system comprises a coil system and a localizer for localizing an additional coil of the system, the coil system, and the localizer. Further, the invention refers to a method and a computer program for localizing the additional coil of the system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Recently, very small mechanical devices have been developed, for instance, in the form of microrobots or microdevices, that can be advantageously utilized in applications that introduce a strict size constraint, for instance, medical applications within the human body. Such microdevices are in particular useful in the form of localization or sensor devices. A very...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a system for localizing a magneto-mechanical oscillator in a medical environment. The system includes an additional coil that can be positioned near the oscillator to receive and amplify its signals. The additional coil can be a LC circuit, which acts as an electrical resonator with a predetermined resonance frequency. By using the LC circuit, the system can provide a stronger signal, making it easier to localize the magneto-mechanical oscillator. The system can also include a localizer that can determine the position of the additional coil based on the provided sensitivity information. The LC circuit can be positioned based on the known position of a nearby indicator (e.g. a marker or landmark). The controller of the system can control the additional coil such that the LC circuit is only utilized during energy transfer and not during the localization process.

Problems solved by technology

In this context, in most applications, a compromise has to be found between the spatial resolution provided by the coil array and the technical effort that has to be invested into the coil array and the detection system, wherein this compromise often leads to a limited number of rather large detection coils which are good enough for most applications.

However, due to the technical effort that has to be invested into these finer coil arrays and since they may interfere with the workflow of an interventional procedure, it is inconvenient to use finer coil arrays all the time.

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